Alfred Thayer Mahan

Occupation: I was commissioned as a Lieutenant in 1861, where I served on the Union side of the Civil War. I was officer on the Congress, Pocahontas, and James Adger. Though my work in the Civil War was limited to blockade duty, during the assault on Port Royal I experienced a few hours of combat. I was also instructor at the Naval Academy. In 1865, I was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and then to Commander seven years later. I advanced to Captain in 1885. I am most known for the books I wrote. My most popular book is The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660-1783, which was first published in 1890.

Position on Issue: I believe that we should colonize the Philippians. This will help the United States to become a great sea power.

Reasons for Interest in Topic: In my opinion, if we have colonies attached to the mother-country the surest means of having a strong sea power. We should have a string of colonies to support weapons of war (like battleships and their supply bases) and to have a near monopoly of seaborne commerce.

Reference:
-Theodore Roosevelt: politician who agrees with me on American imperial expansion.
-Admiral Stephen B. Luce: pointed me in the direction of writing my future studies on the influence of sea power.
-Henri Jomini: his ideas of work helped me write my books
-John Knox Laughton: a friend of mine who is a British naval historian


Bibliography:
" Mahan, Alfred T. – FREE Mahan, Alfred T. information | Encyclopedia.com: Find Mahan, Alfred T. research ." Encyclopedia - Online Dictionary | Encyclopedia.com: Get facts, articles, pictures, video . N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2010. <http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O126-MahanAlfredT.html>.

"Alfred Mahan on Sea Power." Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, Massachusetts. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2010. <http://www.mtholyoke.edu/acad/intrel/protected/alfred.htm>.

"Alfred Thayer Mahan: Biography from Answers.com." Answers.com: Wiki Q&A combined with free online dictionary, thesaurus, and encyclopedias. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2010. <http://www.answers.com/topic/alfred-thayer-mahan>.